Anytime, Jer, anytime
by Yaraslava Rada
Summary: Jeremy gets hurt. Yumi comforts and gets revenge. JXY slight OXU


"Have you guys seen Jeremy?" I ask looking over to Odd and Ulrich.

"Not since lunch. He said he was going to his dorm to check on Aelita."

"Well, he's missed two classes and hasn't texted any of us. I'm going to find him." I say before heading out.

First I check his dorm. His laptop is gone and his bag is on the floor.

"He made it to his room…" I think aloud. "Where would he go if something happened…?" I question. Then it comes to me. I quickly make my way out into the hall before dashing up the stairs. My parents agreed to let me have a dorm room for weekdays. The hour walk home and back made for a great workout but it was so time consuming. Some days I just didn't have the time (or the energy after fighting in Lyoko) to make it home. I, of course, had to let a parent know when I was staying at the school.

When I opened my door I found exactly what I expected…almost. Jeremy was sitting on my bed typing away on his laptop. Since I didn't have a roommate, I had given him my spare key. In return he gave me his.

"What's up, Jer?" I ask kneeling on the bed beside him. It's then I see his bruised face and swollen eye. "Oh, Jeremy!" I say grabbing his laptop and shutting the lid. "What happened?" I ask as I set the laptop behind me.

"I tripped." He replies not meeting my eyes.

"Into someone's fist?" I ask heading to my mini fridge. I grab some bruise salve and an icepack. Being a martial artist required at least a minimum knowledge of first aid. At least for me it did.

"Down the stairs." He replies.

"And into someone's fist." I say sitting across from him. He's moved his legs up onto the bed and is sitting Indian style. I open the bruise salve and gently apply it to his eyes and face. "There are knuckle marks, Jeremy," I whisper running my fingers gently over his cheek. "Here hold this to your eye." I say handing him the icepack. He complies.

We sit in silence for a while. I text my parents and let them know I'm staying at the school. There's no way I'm letting Jeremy leave without letting me know who did this to him.

"Will you please tell me who did this?" I ask finally. Jeremy is silent for a moment…

"DuPont." He says his face burning in embarrassment and shame. DuPont is an underclassman. One who has only heard rumors about the Ishiyama wrath.

"Come here." I say sternly. I lean my back against the wall and stretch my legs out in front of me. I can see the tears trying to make their way into the real world. He scoots next to me but I pull him in my lap.

"Yumi!" He says surprised. I can see the blush on his face.

"Come on, Jeremy. How dumb do you think I am? You need a good crying." I say as I remove his glasses, fold them up and place them on his computer.

"But…" he protests as tears well up in his eyes.

"Shh…" I say tucking his head under my chin. "Let it all out…" I wrap my arms around his shoulders as sobs begin to wrack his body.

Eventually he falls asleep. I smile softly at him, but then my thoughts turn to DuPont. Oh, Revenge is a dish best served unknown. I fall asleep dreaming of all the ways to get revenge on that DuPont.

Jeremy wakes first. He feels my arms around him, protecting him. As his eyes open he can see every thread that makes up my sweater. He feels my calm breathing and as he raises his head he blushes at the close proximity. He tries to get up but my arms hold him close. He sighs before calling my name.

"Yumi?" He whispers against my ear.

"Jeremy…" I mumble back, lost in dreams of revenge.

"Yumi, you need to wake up. We're going to miss breakfast. And class." He says poking my shoulder.

"Jeremy…" I mumble as I tighten my grip. He yelps and pulls himself from my grip, only to fall on the ground with the wind knocked out of him. I am immediately fully awake. "Jeremy?" I question looking down at him. My eyes are drawn to the pale sliver of skin shown by his bunched up shirt. I see bruises on his stomach and my eyes narrow.

I grab the bruise salve from the bed next to me and quickly straddle his hips before he can play it off as nothing. The bruises on his face have faded to yellow and his eye looks much better then it did the night before.

"Take off your shirt." I order. He blushes but knows I won't put up with his excuses. The bruises cover his chest. I can tell that even the slightest pressure would hurt. I don't even know how he managed to fall asleep.

As gently as I can, I apply the salve. But as my hand runs along his ribs there is a sharp intake of breath. My narrowed eyes meet his and I apply a little more pressure. His eyes close and he moans in pain.

"Fractured ribs." I state simply. "You need to be more careful going down those stairs." I say while making him sit up. I grab some gauze and begin bandaging his chest. "You'll need to keep these on as long as possible. Try to avoid getting them wet. If you need them redone come to me…or the nurse." I lecture as I finish wrapping him up.

"Yumi…" He says as he pulls his shirt back on.

"I know, I know. This is between you and me. You don't need to tell me that." I say grabbing more salve. "Now let me put some more salve on that pretty little face of yours, okay?" He nods with another blush.

"Thanks Yumi…" He says as he walks out the door, glasses on his face, and laptop in hand.

"Anytime, Jer, anytime." I say seriously. He closes the door and I get ready.

Between the bruises, Jeremy's ribs and getting ready, neither of us made it to breakfast.

It was no surprise when I got ambushed at lunch.

"Where were you?" Ulrich asks. "You just disappeared."

"I told you I was going to find Jeremy."

"He couldn't have been that hard to find." Odd says through all the food in his mouth.

"We talked. I am allowed to spend time with a friend aren't I?"

"Of course." Ulrich says sensing danger. "It's just, we normally spend time together, all four of us."

"And you and Odd being alone in your dorms? You and me in the Gym? Odd and Jeremy in the library? You and Jeremy getting in trouble? Seems to me like everyone is allowed to hang out with whoever they want but me." I say before pushing my tray away. I grab my bag and make a swift exit.

"Yumi!" I hear Ulrich call after me.

"She's right you know." Jeremy says as the door closes behind me. I see DuPont sneaking off to the empty Gym, so I decide to follow him.

Maybe he'll do something that'll make getting revenge easier. Little did I know, that's exactly what he was doing. He was beating up a kid. I got several shots with my camera-phone. When he was done I followed him to the back of the shed where he lit up. Smiling I go find Jim.

"Jim, DuPont's breaking some serious rules."

"What's that?" He asks turning to me.

"He's in possession," I say. "He's back behind the shed."

Jim runs off to bust the troublemaker. I quickly print those photos and slip them into an envelope before printing DUPONT on the front. I make my way over to the principal's office and I set the envelope on his desk.

The next morning there's an assembly, one reminding us about the Zero Bully Tolerance police at Kadic. Mr. Delmas then tells us that DuPont was expelled for bullying and possession of illegal drugs. A cheer goes up and I am shocked. I didn't know he was that bad. Making my revenge that much more meaningful.

Jeremy is shocked, I can tell. I can see his brain working a mile a minute. He glances over to me. Our eyes meet and I can't withhold a smirk. His eyes widen before a smile breaks out on his face. I wink at him and that cute little blush reappears.

It's a good thing I know Ulrich and Odd have a thing for each other, despite the fact that Ulrich acts like he wants me.


End file.
